BAMBOO

Why choose Bamboo? There are 2 simple reasons:

BAMBOO is Good For You!

Bamboo makes a wonderful clothing material. Fabric made from bamboo is incredibly soft, smooth and luxuriously comfortable. Due to its hollow fibre, it has unusual breathing capabilities. The fibre is filled with micro gaps and micro holes, which allow for better moisture absorption and ventilation than other fibres. Apart from every day use, these unique properties of bamboo clothing make it perfect for a wide range of activities, from cycling to skiing, or gym.

MOISTURE WICKING Bamboo fibre is highly absorbent, much more so and faster drying than cotton. Bamboo fabric absorbs moisture away from your skin, keeping you drier, cooler and more comfortable.

ANTIBACTERIAL Bamboo naturally resists growth of bacteria on its fibre, which prevents accumulation of unwanted odours, even during intensive workout. It also means the garment will have to be washed less often, saving energy and making clothes last longer.

ULTRA SOFT Bamboo apparel is very comfortable. It is often described as having the "ultra softness of cashmere and the sheen (lustre) of silk."

ANTI-STATIC Bamboo clothing doesn't cling to your skin (even on a hot and humid day), instead it sits very comfortably next to it, keeping your body dry, cool and comfortable.

THERMAL REGULATING Thanks to its hollow microfibre bamboo is warm, yet it is very breathable. It makes you feel cooler in hot weather and warmer when it's cold!! Great performance in all temperatures.

HYPOALLERGENIC For sensitive or allergy prone skin, bamboo is perfect. It's also anti-fungal. Many people say it's their only solution for sensitive skin.

WRINKLE RESISTANT Bamboo fabric can be ironed at lower temperature than cotton. One technique to practically eliminate ironing is to gently hand-stretch the clothes immediately after washing and hang to dry.

BAMBOO is Good For the Environment!

Bamboo is a highly sustainable plant and is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to cotton, not only because of its amazing properties which are kind to you, but because its cultivation is a very environmentally responsible, renewable and sustainable practice.

ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE Chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers are not needed in the growing of bamboo, as it's rarely eaten by insects or infected by pathogens.

RENEWABLE AND SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world. It can grow to its full height in just three months and than be ready to harvest in three to four years as its thickness fills out. It also spreads rapidly across large areas.

GREEN HOUSE GAS REDUCTION Bamboo removes more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, if compared to equivalent stand of trees. It also produces 35% more oxygen than trees!

WATER CONSERVING Bamboo has relatively low water needs. It can grow using only rain water. Very little, if any, additional water is ever required.

GREATER YIELD Bamboo only needs 10% of the land required to generate the same amount of cotton.

SOIL STABILITY Bamboo does extremely well in impoverished soils. Bamboo roots help retain water in a watershed area due to their tight hold on the soil.

BIODEGRADABLE Bamboo, as a natural cellulose fibre, is 100% biodegradable in soil by microorganisms and sunshine. The decomposition process doesn't cause any pollution to the environment.

Awesome!.. so what's the catch?

Although bamboo farming is wonderfully sustainable, bamboo fabric has other considerations.

Bamboo clothing is made from bamboo-derived viscose, which is obtained in the chemical process, where a chemical is introduced to break the bamboo stalks into a pulp. Manufacturing viscose, if not done responsibly, pollutes the environment and may introduce some heavy metals into the fiber. It is possible, however, to produce viscose in the environmentally friendly fashion, where the chemical is captured and re-used, or a non-toxic chemical is used and is also recovered and re-used. This environmentally friendly chemical process, which can be used to convert bamboo into a fiber, is called lyocell (one brand name for the lyocell process is Tencel).

So how do I know, if my bamboo T-shirt is made by responsible company?

Currently there are unfortunately no official ways to label bamboo textiles, but there are other options for being confident about the purity of the finished product.

One option is to have the finished item certified to the Oeko-Tex Standard 100. This is labeled as: “Confidence in Textiles. Tested for Harmful Substances according to Oeko-Tex Standard 100.” The list of criteria contains over 100 test parameters for harmful substances to assure that the textiles are not harmful to health (e.g. do not contain heavy metals, which are mentioned above).

Another option is to always make sure that the product you buy is certified under the Organic Blended Content Standard by the Control Union Certifications. Why? Because bamboo blended with synthetics or non-organic cotton just doesn’t make sense. Bamboo in fabrics is being promoted as a sustainable resource. The farming and manufacturing are typically carried out organically, even if not certified, or at least in an environmentally-friendly manner. However, there is another important concern. Bamboo is being blended with many other fabrics to achieve varying characteristics of the finished item. But when it’s blended with non-organic yarns like cotton and synthetics, which are very environmentally destructive to our air, water and soil as well as the farm workers, it really doesn’t make sense.

Finally, the above certificates apply only to the finished fabric properties, confirming that the product you buy is chemical free, but they don't guarantee that the bamboo viscose used in this product comes from a responsible manufacturer. The best bet to ensure your bamboo T-shirt is safe not only for you, but for the environment too, is to stay with well-known, environmentally committed companies, who follow a rigorous, ethical, and transparent course from the source up.

This is the reason why 10tacled Bamboo Line of T-Shirts is supplied exclusively from award-winning Continental/Earth Positive company, which has the strongest commitment yet in the T-shirt business, when it comes to providing sustainable garments. From source to destination each step is designed to be as green as possible. They are as passionate as we are, in regards to organic and sustainable clothing, and by picking Continental/Earth Positive as our main supplier, it's our best way to guarantee our customers that buying from us is the right thing to do.